Bee-knife.



No. 865,062. PATENTED SEPT.'3, 1907.

v 'I. P. SAWYER.

BEE KNIFE. APPLICATION FILED my. 16, 1007.

- vitae/5% q emm v M Mia/WM I -2 ISAAC F. SAWYER, OF MESA, COLORADO.

BEE-KNIFE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed January 16,1907- Serial No. 352,656.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC F. Suwvnn, of Mesa, in the county of Mesa,and in the State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bee-Knives; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a bee-knife embodying my invention; Fig. 2 a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a cross-section on theline 33 of Fig. 1; and Fig. i a cross-section on the line 4""4 of Fig. 1.

In the handling or manipulating of bee-hives, a great variety of work has to be done in the separation of the various parts of the hive, in cleaning the same, etc. and in a large apiary it is of the utmost importance, to rendering the same profitable that such work be done as conveniently and expeditiously as possible, and,

with knowledge of this, derived from many years of practical experience in bee culture, I have devised atool by which these varied operations may be most conveniently, expeditiously and well done, and to these ends My invention consists in the tool constructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

The work to be done in handling or manipulating bee-hives is the prying off of bottom boards where they are nailed to the hive, prying supers and top covers loose where they have been glued or stuck fast by the bees, scraping and cleaning the various surfaces of the parts of the hive structure to remove propolis, etc., the rem oval of followers and frames, and the cleaning of the entrance of the hive from accumulation of dead bees, broken combs, etc. The desirability of a single tool by which these numerous and greatly varied operations can be performed will be evident, and I have produced such a tool, which, as illustrated in the drawings, and as I prefer to make it, is formed of a bar of steel having a flat handle portion A, about nine inches long and thirteensixtecnths inches wide, and an eighth of an inch thick,

at one end of which is formed a blade B three inches long and about one and five-sixteenths inches wide, it thus being greater in Width than the handle A, and its greater width being all on one side of the latter, and drawn to a thin, but not necessarily sharp, straight edge 0 running parallel with the handle in a lengthwise direction. The end D of the blade is straight and runs at right-angles to the edge O and the handle A, and it is brought to a thin, but not a sharp, edge.

The knife having the edges G and D may be used for prying apart or separating the various parts of the hive structure, the thin wedge-like end D being readily passed between the abutting surfaces of the parts to be separated, and for cleaning such surfaces as need to be scraped, the edge O being especially adapted for the latter purpose.

At its end opposite that having the blade, the handle A is formed into a hook E, which is substantially semicircular in shape, and such hook is for use in removing followers from hives, the hook being inserted through the narrow spaces that exist adjacent to the followers and engaged therewith, so that they may be readily lifted, and in the same way the hook is used in the removal of frames, the hook being passed beneath the latter and lifted until they are sufficiently lifted from the breed chamber or super, to enable them to be caught by the fingers. The hook is also useful for cleaning the entrance to the hive, as, by reason of its form, it can be readily passed therein and caught over dead bees, broken combs, etc. lying therein, and the same thereby pulled out of the hive. The hook as stated, has a substantially semi-circular or C-shaped form, with its concave side toward one edge of the handle A.

It is to be understood, of course, that, while I have named certain dimensions for my tool, I do not limit myself to them, or to any particular dimensions, as the scope of my invention is not restricted to such matters as this.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A. tool for use in handling or manipulating bee-hives, consisting of a hardorm handle, having at one end a blade with a thin edge extending longitudinally'of the handle, and a thin, wcdgeshaped edge extending at a right-angle to the handle, and having at its other end a hook.

In testimony that I- claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

ISAAC F. SAWYER.

Witnesses HARDY C. AnliMs, W. L. SMITH. 

